After much deliberation, I finally decided that the M60s would serve my needs well. I do 95% home theater and will be setting up a 5.1 system. Speakers will consist of the M60s, QS8s, VP150 and SVS PB12-NSD.

I am a perfectionist by nature so I am in a bit of a dilemma. Ideally, I would purchase the Emotiva UMC-1 paired with an XPA-5 to drive all my speakers. I don't want to short-change my experience by not giving these speakers the processing and power they need. But that means I would have to save up longer, and the wait is excruciating. I currently own an onkyo 606.

I don't really want to compromise while I get my whole system set up, but how will these speakers sound driven by the 606. If you all feel that the 606 will drive them adequately, I will make the jump soon. Like I said, I don't want to short change these awesome speakers.

That is an excellent system you are putting together there including the SVS sub. Your Onkyo 606 will power all these speakers without any problems. Axiom towers like the M60 and M80 have high power handling, so in large/grand rooms an external amp can be beneficial for these speakers if you are trying to fill a really big space and need a larger headroom reserve for extreme dynamic passages which occur in a lot of movies. How big is your room, how far away will be your listening postions?

Cheers!

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Iím armed and Iím drinking. You donít want to listen to advice from me, amigo.

My current home theater is located in my living room area that is 14'x14' that is somewhat sectioned off by a bar area that connects to the kitchen, so the whole area, I would say, is about 14'x32'x8'. I usually sit 10-12 feet away from the tv.

I will eventually add the Emotiva processor and amp to the system, but I am hoping the 606 will do the job for now. I am more concerned with clarity than how loud I can get the system. I live in a townhouse with a roommate and neighbors.

I guess what I am looking for is the wow factor with these speakers, even if they're driven by the 606. I have an entry polk audio system and they served me okay for a while. Now that I am seriously learning about home theater, the polks no longer cut the cheese.

Seek, welcome. Wherever you got the notion that the M60s might have some unusual power needs, there's no factual basis for it. The 606(and other similar receivers anywhere in the 100 watt area)have plenty of capacity to drive your M60s to beyond safe listening levels. You should be more concerned with yourself rather than about "short-changing" a mere tool.

Seek, welcome. Wherever you got the notion that the M60s might have some unusual power needs, there's no factual basis for it. The 606(and other similar receivers anywhere in the 100 watt area)have plenty of capacity to drive your M60s to beyond safe listening levels. You should be more concerned with yourself rather than about "short-changing" a mere tool.

Well, I am still in the learning process with home theater and I don't have much experience outside of my current system right now. The reason I posted this thread is to get advice from more experienced members, such as yourself, to guide me in the right direction.

I am pretty sure reading about specs and components on forums is quite different from actually experiencing it yourself, hence my concerns.

If you feel like the 606 is more than enough to drive these speaks, then I am more than willing to pull the trigger. I just had my reservations, being somewhat new to this and all.

Maybe I misunderstood your post, but I am somewhat offended when you say I need to be more concerned with myself than short-changing some tool. I have certain expectations, considering the amount of money I will be spending on this hobby and I want the best experience I can get for the money. If this hobby entails these "tools", why do we go out of our way to spend so much money on them.

Hi seeking, Iím presently using an Onkyo 3007 to drive 8 speakers in an 8.1 setup. Itís calibrated for 80dB but Iíve played it at 100dB average w/o any distortion. Iíve also use it to drive just my M80s to 100dB average at 11 feet away again w/o any distortion. So IMO 300w/ch is overkill especially for the VP150 and QS8s which you will likely cross over near 80Hz.

I was just in your shoes trying to decide how to upgrade, separates or receiver. Both the ďpowerĒ math and value lead me to getting a receiver. Any current Denon or Onkyo (and probably others) will give more processing options than the UMC-1. The ability to drive 7 to 9 channels (more with big bucks) w/o adding additional amps. And since I got one with pre-outs I can always amps to drive my M80s (the only speakers in my setup that IMO might benefit from more because I play them full range) or any of the other speakers.

Plus looking at the specs for the Emotiva stuff the only place they beat Onkyo and Denon is in the power department. While the UMC-1 does have some features most receivers donít itís trading that for less overall functionality.

Not to think Iím anti-Emotiva I have considered getting a XPA-3 for my front M80s should I ever feel I might benefit from more power. However, for now I donít want to have to wear hearing protection while sitting in my living room so the Onkyo will do.